Typically, fiber optic cables installed in or between buildings to enable intra-organizational data and telephone communications are housed in conduits and connected with dematable connectors. The benefits of fiber optics for use in these local networks are many; however, the primary benefit lies in the ability to send the information of many telecommunication instruments over an exceedingly small number of channels as compared to conventional copper cables. A single pair of optical fibers may, in fact, replace several hundred pairs of copper cables.
Because of the present tendency toward high capacity small cables, fiber optic cables are often installable where conventional copper or coaxial cables of equivalent capacity will not fit, e.g., small or congested cable ducts. Copper or coaxial cable bundles as large as 100 mm in diameter can be avoided in favor of fiber optic cables as small as 8 mm in diameter.
Unfortunately, single channel dematable fiber optic connectors used to terminate the cable are typically 8 to 20 millimeters in diameter. This results in connector bundle sizes several times the diameter of the cable. For example, a typical AT&T Technologies connector used to terminate a typical 6 channel, 8 mm diameter, fiber optic cable will result in a bundle size of 36.7 mm which is over four (4) times the size of the cable. The National Electrical Code limits a single cable to 53% of the conduit area. Thus, the 8 mm cable can easily fit a 1/2 inch standard conduit. The same cable with preinstalled connectors would require a 11/2 inch standard conduit just to clear the connector bundle. Pulling equipment may dictate an even larger size conduit. The existence of previously installed cable and/or a series of 90.degree. conduit bends might raise the required conduit size even higher. To compound these problems, the typical cable grip used to install cables in conduits does not expand more than a few percent larger than the minimum allowable cable diameter, i.e., it will not fit over a connector bundle with a diameter more than a few percent larger than the cable diameter.
This situation has almost universally resulted in field connectorization (as opposed to the more desirable factory connectorization) of duct-installed fiber optic cables. Unfortunately, to install the typically epoxy and polish connector takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes per end (two ends per connection) requiring approximately 40 separate steps. For example, some of these required steps include: (1) stripping the jacket away from the cable; (2) folding back the Kevlar material and stripping the buffer material; (3) cleaving or putting a break in the fiber such that the break is perpendicular to the axis of the fiber; (4) cementing the fiber inside of the connector with epoxy; and (5) polishing the fiber optic connector. The connectors may each cost as much as $25.00 or more. An incorrect installation or accidental breakage of the fragile fiber may necessitate that the connector be cut off, discarded and a new installation procedure begun having to again perform all of the time-consuming steps including that of polishing the connector which is perhaps the most time-consuming. As a result, field installation of dematable connectors is performed by highly skilled personnel. It is not uncommon for this connectorization to be done by highly skilled, degreed engineers.